India’s girl child cannot breathe anymore

As we read the news of the five-year old girl child who was brutally raped, battered, traumatized and scarred for life, rage first takes over, followed in quick succession by shame and absolute helplessness. Yet again, it is the same sickening story; as yet another victim is brutally raped by a beast in Delhi, a city that is now deemed to be the rape capital of this country. As we read the horrific details of the crime, our stomachs churn. What this beast has done to the little girl is beyond the imagination of any sane individual and we can possibly never come to grips with this heinous act.

So whom are our politicians blaming this time for what the little girl has been through? Are they ludicrously going to point fingers at this little girl? Was this little girl out at unearthly hours? Was she skimpily dressed? Was she drinking or partying? Are they now going to be putting curfews and restricting little children from playing outside their homes? Our Netas do what they do best, shift responsibility and blame, far away from them. Shinde has said that rapes happen all over India and not just Delhi, nothing as yet about taking action against the police for the atrocious manner in which the case has been handled.

It is most shameful that the Delhi Police commissioner wishes to take no responsibility whatsoever for the lack of sensitivity shown towards the case by the police. It is most shameful that the police commissioner thinks that he is absolutely satisfied with his tenure as police chief. It is most shameful that the police as usual did not do their job on time. It is most shameful that the police did what they usually do to cover their tracks when their lethargy was brought to light by offering the victim’s family Rs 2,000 to keep quiet about the case. It is most shameful that crimes against girls and women seem to increase multifold in India’s crime capital. It is most shameful that Delhi being governed by a woman offers the least protection to the feminine gender. It is most shameful that all are not equal under law in our country. It is most shameful that there is not enough being done to protect children who are the most vulnerable. It is most shameful that we live in a society where the rich and the influential get away with anything and everything whilst it is most shameful that the police do not have time for the poor, thereby creating a shameful situation where there is no parity in implementation of the law. All in all, we need to hang our heads in collective shame for the fault of others, for the fault of those individuals in power and position who have worked hard in creating hellholes in India, holes that are extremely difficult to climb out of. I had previously written “ In a report published by ADR India, it is noted that political parties have given tickets to 27 candidates who contested state elections in the last five years, who have declared that they have been charged with rape. In the last Lok Sabha elections, political parties gave tickets to 6 candidates who declared that they have been charged with rape. In short, the people who govern us are also rapists; they have raped the system in its entirety. Why is there no law in place as yet to stop such beasts from contesting elections? “

We know of the plight of this little girl because it is a reported crime that has received attention from the media. There are thousands of little girls who face sexual, physical and mental abuse in the hands of seasoned predators, these are crimes, which never get reported, and the predators roam free baiting their next victim. The Asian Centre for Human rights in its report on child sexual assault in juvenile homes, terming it quite aptly as India’s hellholes has come up with some staggering facts. It is reported that 48,338 cases of child rape were reported in India from 2001 to 2011. The number of cases reported annually more than tripled during that time, it said, to 7,112 in 2011 from 2,113 in 2001. The cases of child rape have been consistently increasing and India saw an increase of 336% of child rape cases from 2001 (2,113 cases) to 2011 (7,112 cases). At the rate at which we are going, these numbers seem to only but increase.

The onus of protecting our children falls back on us; there is little we can expect from anyone else at this time. If you thought your child is safe with your domestic help, your driver, your relative, your friend, it is time for you to think again. If you thought it is safe for your child to play outside unsupervised, it is time for you to think again. The safety and security of your child is paramount and the state is to be blamed for increasing our fears. Have a talk with your child; spend time with your child. If you don’t have time for your child, it would be the stupidest mistake you are making. Unfortunately, this society has reached a stage where parents have to start developing hawk like behavior in protecting their young ones. We no longer live in a world of innocence, there are more wolves than lambs and many more wolves disguised as lambs. How ironic is it that we live in a country that worships the feminine in the sanctum sanctorum and tramples on her outside of it, stiffling the last breath out of her until India’s girl child cannot breathe anymore.

Author

Sharmila Ravinder is a qualified Accountant with a Finance background and has spent a good part of her life studying and working in India and Australia. She observes the dynamics of this versatile world and its effect on our day-to-day lives. She writes about the changing social, political and cultural climate in India and abroad. She immensely enjoys engaging in debates that encourage multiple narratives. A passionate animal lover, an avid traveller and a movie buff, she gleefully pens her thoughts in prose and sometimes in poetry too. A cat lover and always on the prowl, she has a keen eye for ordinary and extraordinary issues. She also blogs on www.sharmilasays.wordpress.com
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Sharmila Ravinder is a qualified Accountant with a Finance background and has spent a good part of her life studying and working in India and Australia. She. . .